Insider Brief
- LeadStory has raised $2.75M in Seed funding, led by Checker Media, to launch its AI video search tool and grow its global audience, now over 10 million strong.
- The platform replaces text-based AI responses with fact-checked, licensed video clips from top news sources like CBS, CNBC, and Reuters to combat misinformation and hallucinations.
- Already available on platforms like Samsung TV Plus and VIZIO, LeadStory is expanding into automotive news delivery, starting with Mercedes-Benz’s in-car video experience.
PRESS RELEASE — LeadStory, the on-demand personalized news streaming platform redefining how news is consumed, announced $2.75M in Seed funding along with the launch of its revolutionary AI video search functionality.
The round was led by Checker Media, founded by former VICE Media Global President Jesse Angelo and also included American Public Media Group’s Horizon Fund, along with follow-on investment from their pre-Seed investors, CP Ventures. This latest funding will enable the rollout of its AI functionality and expand on its now 10 million strong, global audience.
“The era of AI-powered search is here — but when it comes to video News, the results from the existing platforms are woeful,” said Jesse Angelo, CEO of Checker Media. “LeadStory has solved a critical and growing problem in the ecosystem by quickly getting people accurate answers from trusted sources.”
As AI becomes an integral part of people’s daily lives, persistent hallucinations — especially when it comes to news delivery — have been a hallmark of the current generation of models. According to the BBC, 51% of Gen-AI news-related outputs have “significant issues.” LeadStory is setting out to change that, replacing text-responses with licensed video from the world’s premier news brands to answer user questions.
“This solves the hallucination problem AI has been unable to fix when it comes to news answers,” said Cam Price, CEO and co-founder of LeadStory, a former television journalist. “Delivering the exact point in a broadcast news story to answer a user’s question means the response will always be from fact-checked, verified news sources ensuring users can trust the answer is real and not an AI hallucination”.
“We’re right at the start of a user-led movement to voice-activated, AI search. When it comes to surfacing video, we’re only getting started on what is possible with AI,” added LeadStory co-founder, former UpGuard software engineer Cheyne Wallace.
LeadStory leverages content partnerships with many of the world’s top media outlets, including CBS, CNBC, Reuters, and Euronews, to power its AI functionality.
LeadStory continues to solidify its position as the emerging AI-driven news platform and is already experiencing another high-growth year. The company’s popular FAST channels are available in a dozen markets on Samsung TV Plus and in North America on VIZIO. Earlier this year LeadStory was selected by Mercedes-Benz to power their in-car video news experience, the first step in their growing automotive business.
About LeadStory
LeadStory is an AI-powered, on-demand news streaming platform that delivers personalized video news tailored to individual user preferences. LeadStory partners with trusted publishers, to deliver multi-sourced, up-to-date news while giving users control over what they consume. Founded in 2021 by former Sky News journalist Cam Price and former UpGuard software engineer Cheyne Wallace, LeadStory is redefining how people engage with the news: personalized, trustworthy, and built for today’s audiences.
About Checker Media
Checker Media is a production and investment company working at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence, Entertainment, and News. We help founders, creative visionaries, and established media companies unlock the opportunities of the AI revolution.
Assets are available at https://leadstory.com/media
Co-Founder and CEO Cam Price available for interview, Podcast bookings on request.
